Enterprise App Stores and IT Changing Needs

We ran across this interesting article about the rapidly expanding need for IT resources with mobile experience. While we are not seeing this need at EDGE, yet, we are seeing on the horizon and planning accordingly.

Will Enterprise App Stores Change IT Staffing Needs?

With the huge explosion of interest in mobile devices and mobile applications, it's no wonder that two of the six hot new IT jobs that Susan Hall wrote about earlier this summer involve mobile. Mobile technology expert is No. 4 and enterprise mobile developer is No. 5 on the list of hot jobs, which was created by InfoWorld's Robert Strohmeyer.

Problem is, there aren't enough mobile developers and experts to go around. As Susan noted, citing an interview with the CEO of a Boston-based startup that was seeking talent to supplement its ranks of mobile developers, the rapidly changing mobile market is making it tough for companies to find people with up-to-date skills. As the CEO said: "Someone with deep knowledge of how mobile worked four years ago is not that useful to us."

Sam Liu, vice president of marketing for Partnerpedia, touched upon the staffing issue when I interviewed him about the growing popularity of enterprise app stores. They will be a great solution for many companies, he told me, as they bridge the gap between what users want (added flexibility, more choice) and what IT organizations need (management capabilities, transparency into application portfolio, and hopefully a reduction in "stealth" app purchases).